IS THIS THE PAINTING INTENDED?

I don’t know. What interests me about the landscape is how the land gets changed by man. The curious shapes and decisions that occur when dividing up fields for housing and agriculture. I have put these shapes into the sky, exaggerated shapes and colours on the land and painted other areas more naturalistically. I find this ever changing mix quite interesting. Although this painting has some curious elements it seems to gel. I could keep adding more detail but I think this painting is finished.

An Italian landscape 2

MIRRORS ARE OLD SKOOL

Do you remember them?, with your back to your painting, its image reflected, trying to work out what was wrong. I never used them, what I use now is my iphone. As I have a website I spend as much time looking at my painting on the phone as I do when I am working on it. Not looking for faults, but for subtle insights in how the painting may be improved. The backlit photo gives an enhanced image which increases colour and contrast. I can often see a way forward by looking at the phone rather than the painting. This is new tech, and along with Photoshop, my way of working at art school does indeed seem like last century.

PHOTO FOR THE PAINTING

I have not done this before but I thought it would be interesting to show how far removed my painting is from the photo. The reason that I strayed so far was firstly to introduce a greater sense of dynamism and space to the painting. The trees in the photo produce a rather uninteresting green blanket effect. The houses produce a similar effect in that they are a flat tapestry. You can see I have retained the high contrasting and more interesting elements, the skyline and yellow cornfields.

MAKING IT UP

Once again I have gone off piste as my source material is not giving me the image I want to make, but its never that clear what image you want to make. As my style is turning back towards illustration you then have the problem of convincing the viewer that what you are painting is observed. That is to say that the space and forms that have appeared are convincing. I think that needs a little bit more work but this version is a step closer to completion. This kind of painting is like taking an imaginary walk through a landscape that only reveals itself very slowly.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 5

A BIT OF TICKLING

This happens when you don’t have the mental energy to take on the more difficult aspects of the painting. In this case, once again, its the trees. I haven’t finished with them yet. So I started with the sky. Freeform clouds are a lot easier to deal with. The day started slowly but with a solo recital in the background from Pavarotti some good progress was made.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 4

ANOTHER DAY

The photo to this painting is populated with hundreds of houses, I was going to include a handful, curiously none have appeared and I think it is better without it. I always find that I am contradicting myself when it comes to my own painting. When I am sure I am heading in a certain direction my painting says otherwise.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 3

FOCUS ON THE RIGHT THINGS

I recently received a book on Graham Crowley, within the second paragraph there is a line: 'painting is the artists defence against anxiety'. I use painting to switch off from the world, which may be the same thing. That doesn't mean to say that painting is always a pleasurable experience but it focuses my attention enough so at least I can get lost for a while. This painting is starting to improve, and when that happens the world seems a better place.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 2

BETTER THAN UNTITLED

An Italian Landscape 2, not very imaginative but better than Untitled.

A SLIGHT REVISION

Being disappointed is no bad thing if your willing to return to a painting and make the adjustments. I had decided that the painting needed to be calmed down. I felt there was a relationship between the two buildings and that a sense of silence would suit the scene better. Or a stillness?

These are the grey and desolate skies of Lowry and the north of England, and really don’t have a place in Italy.

Even the most observant of you may not have noticed that this photo was shot on my new 21 mega pixel camera as opposed to my 12 year old 12 mp camera. Despite the advancement in technology the new camera is still not recording a 100% faithful image, and by that I mean colour. Maybe I need to do a bit of research.

An Italian landscape

A PICTURE THAT MUST BE PAINTED

Whenever a painting disappoints I just consider it as a picture that must be painted. There is a mixture of doubt and self belief that if I just continue things will inevitably get better. Then I give myself a metaphorical slap and tell myself if this is the only thing I have to suffer then I should be grateful for that. I always hold out the hope that something will come along to replace painting, after several decades this has not happened!.

Lovely Amazon, has just delivered me a book on John Craxton. I have no doubt that somewhere in this biography these same thoughts will be repeated.

An Italian landscape. Day 6

AN OLYMPIC COMMITMENT

Two things I don’t posses are an Olympic Commitment, or the ability to channel all my energies in one direction. I do posses the ability to keep plodding away, a quality that one of my early art teachers noted. If he is still around his assessment of me was disappointingly accurate. Still, my progress is unrelenting and I think this painting is almost finished.

An Italian landscape. Day 5

A WET SATURDAY AFTERNOON

A wet day only leaves me a few options, and it normally means a painting day. If I wanted to paint more I suppose I should move to a wetter climate, maybe the west coast of Ireland. Anyway, I forgot all about the rain and made some more progress with the painting. I have come to the realisation that I can’t paint empty landscapes anymore. By that I mean uninhabited.

An Italian landscape. Day 4

A CURIOUS JOURNEY

I can’t sort out these stylistic shifts. I would like to say I am in control but I seem to be a like a magpie picking up shiny objects. I am enjoying the journey, and for me that is the most important thing. These stylistic shifts will sort themselves out. I would say 12 months of painting would fix it, but what do I know!

An Italian landscape. Day 3

AN UNNATURAL LIGHT

There is an unnatural light in the photograph that I am using and I have been in two minds whether to pursue this direction or not. There is a sharp yellow green on the far hills that really flattens the space which I like. Also a curious pale lavender green in the foreground that almost looks like an exposure error from the camera. Out of curiosity I am going to follow this path and see what develops.

An Italian landscape. Day 2

AN INTERRUPTED DAY

A completely unexpected phone call this morning has meant a day dedicated to painting has been anything but. The possible long term implications of this call means it will plant me firmly in the centre of my beloved Northumberland landscape. Lots of hoops to jump through. In the meantime the Italian theme continues, intentionally with less trees this time.

An Italian landscape. Day 1.

WHEN DO YOU STOP?

Its a question I was asking myself all afternoon. Bad light stopped play at 8pm, at least that is the excuse I’m using. I don’t want to paint any more trees!,

It is starting to take on that manic intensity of a Lucian Freud or a Stanley Spencer and I don’t want to go down that path even if I could. I’m still not sure its finished, I will asses the situation tomorrow.

View from Montepulciano. Day 6.

GROUNDHOG DAY

I had the bright idea that I could improve the sky even though it was close to how I wanted it. After several hours I have come full circle back to where I was!

It is better, but do I count this as a real day or a Groundhog Day? The issue here is a lack of knowledge, which can be solved by some outdoor cloud studies. I will have to let that gnaw at my conscience before I act upon it.

View from Montepulciano. Day 5.

3 STEPS FORWARD, 2 STEPS BACK

This feels more familiar. About half way through the morning I began to wonder if I was making any progress at all. I have been looking at Cezanne recently. I am beginning to question whether his deft modelling of trees is a result of technical genius or sheer frustration. Where one brushstroke may suffice he puts down ten. I know how he feels.

Anyway, at some point my determination was rewarded and I have pushed a bit further up the mountain.

View from Montepulciano. Day 4

LATE DEVELOPMENT WITH POTENTIAL FOR GENIUS

The beauty of running your own website is that you can write anything about yourself however fanciful.

Only the first part of this headline has any validity. It seems I am shifting stylistically from painting to painting. This I believe is because the switch to landscape is still in its infancy.

The second part of this headline is what keeps us all going.

View from Montepulciano. Day 3

A LATE DINNER

A good painting session always ends in a late dinner, or a late lunch, depending on when you start. Not only was my dinner late, I also subjected myself to an endless loop of Strauss waltzes. Still, things could be worse.

I thought the most challenging aspect of this painting would be the sheer quantity of trees. They are emerging in an Impressionist, Cezannesque style, and I am quite happy with that.

View from Montepulciano. Day 2